Brighton and Hove Albion captain Lewis Dunk has offered his verdict on Moises Caicedo’s potential switch to Chelsea as the Seagulls chairman and owner Tony Bloom is playing hardball with the west London club.

Chelsea want to push ahead with more business from Brighton – and tabled an £80m bid for Moises Caicedo.

The Seagulls have rejected this, believing that their star is worth closer to £100m, following Declan Rice’s £105m move from West Ham to Arsenal.

Negotiations between Chelsea and Brighton continue, but it is thought that the clubs are not close to agreeing a deal that satisfies both parties.

Now, in an interview with Sky Sports, Dunk said: “It’s not the first time it’s happened and it’s not the last but for a player that’s in the squad. It’s a difficult place to be in for him but we’re all there for him.

“Obviously, we don’t want him to go. What a player, he probably makes my life easier playing in front of me so yeah, hopefully he can stay and we can keep him happy. We’re all there for him and whenever he needs to speak we’re around.

“He’s getting on with training and working and he played [vs Brentford] and I’m sure you play again [against Newcastle]. So yeah, he’s getting fit for the season hopefully with us.”